Awkward!
by RosettaWuzHere
Summary: The team finds out that Reid likes Hotch, more than a friend. Instead of telling Hotch, they decide to set them both up in any way they can. Reviewers get to choose the situations. Slash, but not super serious. Don't like don't read.
1. Intro

**Just like it said in the description, the reviewers get to choose what awkward/romantic/funny situations that the team decide to put Hotch and Reid into. I'll start it off with: Work Resort - Sharing a Room. Please, please, please R&R! **

* * *

Reid sat on the sill on the side of Garcia's office. He bit his lip worriedly.

"You know I can tell when you're lying right?" Garcia said, twirling her pen with both hands. Reid was about to speak, when Morgan walked into the room.

"Hey Baby Girl. What's going on in here?" he said, handing Reid a coffee and leaning in to peck Garcia's cheek. There had been hardly any cases lately, and the entire team was fidgety.

"Oh, nothing. Just trying to guess who Reid is sweet on." she said, a playful giggle coming through in her voice. Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"Well, well, well. Derek to the rescue. I bet I already know." he said, laughing along with Garcia. Reid shrunk deeper into his slouch.

"Know what?" J.J. asked, walking into the room and flicking her hair back.

"Speak of the devil." Morgan said under his breath. Reid exhaled deeply. This situation couldn't get any worse. Pretty soon the whole team would be in here.

"Is it J.J., Reid?" Garcia asked.

"No." Reid said with apparent confidence. Garcia frowned. Morgan rubbed his hands together, clearly in deep thought. J.J. caught on right away.

"Is it Derek?" Reid's eyebrows raised higher than she thought possible.

"Jeez, J.J. you think I'm gay?" His voice was squeaky now.

"Well are you?" Garcia challenged.

"I-I'm not-" he was interrupted by several bouts of laughter and Morgan's cry of 'Jackpot!'. His face turned pink and he put his face in his hands as Rossi came in to see what the fuss was about. Garcia faced the group.

"You know what this means, right? It's not Morgan and it's definitely not Rossi so.." Rossi's eyes lit with understanding and walked over and patted Reid on the back.

"Way to go, kid. Couldn't have shot any higher than the boss." Rossi said between snickers.

Garcia stood up and began to walk towards Hotch's office. Reid jumped to his feet and ran after her, talking at 60 words per minute in a panicked whisper.

"Garcia, think about what you want to do with this information. I mean, you really don't have to-" She flung open Hotch's door and Reid fell silent. "Sir. The papers you asked for." she said, handing Hotch a file folder. He nodded and put it on a pile on his desk. Reid quickly turned, so quickly that Hotch looked up, concerned.

"Reid?" he asked. Reid slowly turned around. "Is there something I should know about?" Garcia laughed and left. Reid turned a deep red and barely managed to squeak,

"No. I'm fine."


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay. So this took longer than expected because of some homework that came up, but I finally got it published. I'm really excited to get started on 68luvcarter's idea (movie night), which is coming up next. I would also like to incorperate Vanessa S. Quest's idea (matchmaking) into the next one or the one after. Thanks for the ideas, and keep them coming! R&R plz. **

* * *

They arrived in their black SUVs. The Lodge was a trip they had to every year. Garcia was bubbly with excitement, whereas Reid looked nauseated. Even in the face of a mandatory vacation, Hotch wore a stuffy-looking suit. As they walked into the sitting room, every member of the team, save Reid and Hotch, grabbed another team member to bunk with. Garcia grabbed Morgan rather forcefully, J.J. slid to Emily's side and Rossi paid for his own room. Reid's jaw dropped as he saw the smug looks on their faces that Hotch seemed to be immune to.

"I guess that leaves us." Hotch said to Reid, who looked extremely nervous. Hotch brushed past Reid, carrying both their suitcases into the far room. Reid turned to the rest of the team.

"I swear I am going to-" he began in a hushed voice, before Hotch called down the hall.

"Are you coming, Reid?"

"Yes!" he replied in a strained voice. He gave them one last glare before running down the hallway and being greeted with...one bed. Hotch was unpacking his suitcase on it as if everything was normal. A panicky feeling rose in his chest. Should he mention it? Or would it seem painfully obvious if he mentioned it? But how could he go on pretending things were normal? Thankfully, Hotch brought it up first.

"They only gave us one bed this year. I guess it was one of the shortcomings of the lack of funding." he said monotonously, putting his toiletries in the bathroom. Reid tucked his hair behind his ears thoughtfully.

"I could take this floor, if you want." he offered. Hotch snorted.

"There's no need for that. It's big enough for both of us." Hotch replied, ever rational. This was wrong. Very, very wrong. He could hardly begin to comprehend sleeping in the same room with Hotch let alone the same bed! Hotch glanced at him.

"Are you all right? You look tired. It's almost time for bed anyways," he said checking his watch. "unless you have other plans?" Hotch said, as if it were a possibility. Reid laughed nervously.

"Nope. I have plans to read my book." He smiled and realized how incredibly un-agent like that sounded. He cringed inwardly. Hotch smirked. Then he pulled out a pair of boxers and a faded t shirt. Hotch took his tie off and began unbuttoning his shirt. Reid realized with growing horror that Hotch was going to change. Here. Why shouldn't he change? They were two guys sharing a room. By the time Reid finished thinking, Hotch wasn't wearing a shirt. Reid gripped his hair in his fists and pretended not to be interested in his shirtless, soon to be pantless, boss. He threw his book across the room and under the bed and with a weak cry of,

"Oops!" he went over to get it." By the time he had retrieved his book from under the bed, Hotch was wearing the tight shirt and reading a book in bed. Reid sighed with relief and ran into the washroom to change. He rinsed his face and wiped his thick glasses, which he now only used for reading. He slipped into bed beside Hotch, trying to to touch any part of him. He soon realized that was impossible. He couldn't focus on his book with Hotch right there. He just turned out his bedside light and pretended to be asleep. The tension that he was sure Hotch didn't feel pressed on him, pushing him to the very edge of the bed. He could still feel Hotch's steady warmth beside him and was relieved when Hotch turned his light out. He lay awake for over an hour, listening to the steady breathing of his boss. Eventually he fell asleep.

Reid woke blearily, being nudged gently by an outside force. He should wake up, but he was so warm..A deep voice rolled across his subconscious.

"Reid. Wake up." he snuggled deeper into the nook he had found. Something was tugging at the back of his mind. Wait a second, his inner voice wouldn't call him by his last name. It wouldn't have Hotch's voice, at least, it hadn't in the past. Hotch's voice. Reid's eyes flew open and he scrambled across this bed. In his haste, he tumbled over the side, knocking over the bedside table. How could he have actually snuggled into his boss? His arm had been wrapped around Hotch! How could his boss have tolerated that? With his face pressed into the carpet all he could think is that as of this moment his team was so dead. Excluding Hotch, of course.

Minutes later, Reid was hurriedly brushing himself down, speed walking down the hallway away from Hotch. Garcia smiled slyly, nudging Morgan and nodding towards Reid.

"Hey there, pretty boy! You look agitated. Did something happen-"

"-that we should know about?" Garcia cut in, tugging Reid's sleeve to prevent him from walking away.

` "Nothing that _you_ need to know about." he said under his breath. Emily smirked as he hurriedly shuffled to the opposite side of the table from Hotch. Then she began to laugh. The source of her amusement was soon clear.

"You know," she said between snorts. "what time it is after breakfast?" Reid gulped and hung his head, so no one would see his burning cheeks. J.J. chimed in.

"Hot springs time!"

* * *

Reid sunk into the water, enduring the painfully hot water in order to hide his skinny frame. He sunk even lower as he saw Morgan, Emily and Hotch come climbing over the hill, chattering away as if this were not awkward experience. Maybe it was just him. Garcia kicked him in the shin as Hotch began slip into the water. He was wearing swim trunks, and that was all. Reid turned to kick Garcia back, but she had left to pull Morgan in. It reminded him of the unfortunate incident in the pool a few years ago. _That_ had been awkward. He sat in his isolated corner of the spring, trying not to stare anywhere but straight ahead. As luck would have it, Hotch began to make his way over to him anyway. He mentally cursed himself for even allowing himself to go on this trip. Hotch actually looked like he was having fun. He was smiling, an unfamiliar sight around the BAU.

"So. Having fun?" Hotch asked. Reid nodded and replied,

"Oh, yeah. Lot's of fun." he said. He sounded a little shaky. A large wave of warmth splashed over them. Hotch jumped into Reid, shielding them from the onslaught of cascading mini-waves that Morgan was throwing at them. Shoved into the rock wall, with Hotch's wet, unclothed body pressed against him, Reid tried to pretend this whole situation wasn't happening. _I am not attracted to my boss. Hotch must work out. I am NOT attracted to my boss._ Hotch turned to him, and actually laughed.

"Now this," he said, pulling his arm back, "is fun." Hotch shoved an enormous amount of water into Morgan and Garcia. Reid laughed, despite himself, at the high squeals of Garcia. He flicked some water at Emily, who splashed him back. Eventually they were all in a water fight, save Rossi, who was snorkeling in a different spring. Technically, they were all supposed to be in the same spring for 'bonding time'. Yeah, bonding, he thought as Hotch slid by him with surprising agility, kicking waves at J.J. as he went.

Hotch and Reid towelled off, Hotch shaking his hair vigorously to get it dry. That was _so_ not hot, Reid tried to think to himself. He didn't believe it. Hotch slipped into a shirt that said '#1 Dad' on it. As they walked back up the hill, Hotch smiled at Reid.

"Too bad we have to leave today, huh?" he said.

"Yeah, really." Reid replied. Despite the awkwardness that had occurred, a slow warmth was spreading across him. In the end, he was glad he came.


	3. Chapter 2

**I LOVE all the positive feedback I've been getting. Keep the ideas coming! This was super fun to write, thanks for the idea from 68luvcarter. This one was more hinty than awkward, but I can assure you that the next one will be awkward. Very, awkward. Next I'm going to do Vanessa S. Quest's idea (matchmaking) and RoseLaurel's idea (drunk Hotch) in one. I hope to come out with Sue1313's idea (haunted house) around Halloween, which I'm UBER excited for. Thanks so much and don't forget to R&R!**

* * *

Reid sat on his desk, eating a sandwich. It was lunch break, and everyone was crowded around the few desks in the middle of the room. It was silent right now, a rare pleasure. All good things come to an end, however, and Garcia soon piped up.

"We should totally go see a movie!" Hotch looked sceptical. Emily and Morgan looked excited and Rossi looked disinterested. Reid looked into the depths of his coffee, as if expecting to find something there. When he didn't he looked up and met Hotch's steady gaze. A cold shiver ran through him and he excused himself. When he came back Garcia jumped to her feet.

"We are TOTALLY going to see New Moon." she glanced at him warily when he didn't respond. He cleared his throat nervously. It appeared that he was missing something.

"New Moon..? Would somebody enlighten me?" he asked. J.J. sighed, exasperated.

"Remember I told you about Twilight? It's the second movie."At Hotch's completely un-excited expression, Emily grabbed his arm, pouting.

"You can't bail on us. You can't." Reid cocked his eyebrows. She must be desperate. He knew he would probably regret this, but he finished his sandwich and said,

"All right. I'm in." Garcia clapped her hands together.

"If it's that important that I go.." Hotch said hesitantly. "Jessica has Jack this Friday. How about then?"

It was this way that Reid and Hotch found themselves playing a car racing game while they waited for the others to arrive. Hotch punched the air in victory as his car slid out just in front of Reid's. Reid smiled and fell back on his chair. Morgan had already called to cancel, and Rossi made it clear that he was not coming.

"The movie's gonna start soon. Maybe we should head in and flag them down when they arrive." Hotch nodded, and picked up the popcorn by the seat of his arcade machine. They headed into the dark theatre, Hotch wincing all the way through the Miley Cyrus music video before the movie. Reid shut off his phone and Hotch followed suit. Reid glanced at Hotch nervously. If the others didn't show he would be seeing a vampire chick flick-with Hotch. That seemed a little too much like a date to him. And with a _click_ he was sure had been audible, something registered in his brain. Of course they weren't going to show up. He sighed heavily and Hotch smiled at him. He tried hard to smile back. Two men didn't go to see New Moon unless...He just stopped himself from gripping his hair, which was considerably harder thanks to his new hairdresser.

Halfway through the movie Hotch noticed something odd. Squinting in the darkness, he saw that Reid was crying.

"Are you alright?" Hotch asked, concerned.

"What? It's sad!" Reid whispered back loudly. Hotch looked relieved, then he snorted and handed him a napkin. Then Hotch reached his arm over Reid and rubbed his shoulder. Reid hated that it was so comforting. And awkward. Or was that just him? He pulled himself together and took a sip of Coke. Hotch smiled widely at him. With the kinda work we do you would think he'd be able to handle a chick flick, he thought. They sat in contented silence. "Can I have some popcorn?" He handed Reid the popcorn. He reached for it, but evidently Hotch thought he had it, because he dropped it one the floor. They both stooped to get it and cracked their heads together. Hotch swore quietly. They crouched on the floor in front of the seats. They looked up and Reid gulped nervously as they were nose to nose.

"Are _you_ alright?" Reid asked. Hotch nodded.

"It's fine." Then Hotch's jerked his head upwards. Reid almost died as Hotch began looking through his hair. He could feel his boss' strong hands making an effort to be gentle as he pulled his hair apart.

"You're bleeding, Reid. Let's wash that up in the washroom." Reid nodded. He didn't dare argue with him. In the washroom, Reid held a wet paper towel to his forehead and gently wiped at the small bump on his head. Hotch went to use the facilities. Another man walked up to him, smiling. He was wearing a tight shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Reid made a conscious effort not to look at his pants.

"Hey. Is that your boyfriend? I saw you in the movie." Reid inhaled sharply. Why here?

"B-b-boyfriend? I d-don't.." Reid asked, failing at keeping his cool. Hotch walked over and glared at the man.

"He's not interested." Hotch said in his strictest voice, standing closer to him than was necessary. The man held up his hands.

"Alright, alright. A simple 'yes' would've been fine." he mumbled as he walked away. Reid looked up at Hotch.

"Thanks for that." he said, genuinely grateful. He chose to ignore the fact that the man had actually assumed they were together.

"Do you want to catch the rest of that movie?" Hotch asked. It was rather rhetorical. Reid shook his head. They walked out of the theatre and hopped into Hotch's car.

"I can't believe you actually cried." Hotch snickered.

"I did not."

"Yes, you did." Hotch said, leaning over and poking the tear tracks on Reid's shirt.

"Whatever." Reid replied, turning away. In the reflection of the window, Hotch could see him smiling.


	4. Chapter 3

**This one's a bit longer, due to the double storyline. I LOVE all the ideas coming in! This has RoseLaurel's idea (drunk Hotch) and Vanessa S. Quest's idea (matchmaking). I would like to draw the matchmaking idea out over a few chapters, to give it more substance and reality. I did the first date here, though. I am crazy excited for the next two ideas I'm doing which is Sue1313's halloween idea and 68luvcarter's elevator idea (great concept btw). Thanks for sticking with me and keep the requests coming! R&R! **

* * *

Reid stared hazily down at the book in front of him. It was exceedingly late, and he couldn't sleep. He was halfway between dreamworld and the real world when the phone rang. He stared at the phone a moment before picking it up.

"Hello?" he answered, half hoping that no one would be on the other end.

"Hi. It's Hotch." came the familiar voice from over the phone. It had a different quality, Reid noted. He glanced at his watch. Why was Hotch calling him now?

"Hotch. It's 1:00am." he said, trying to sound agitated. His brows creased with concerned surprise at the weakness in his boss' voice.

"I need someone to drive me home." Reid instantly realized that the different quality in Hotch's voice was a drunk slur. Reid frowned forcefully at the receiver. Well, at least Hotch was being responsible, but him?

"All right, where are you?"

Within a few minutes he picked Hotch up outside of a wild-looking bar. He didn't ask, and Hotch didn't explain. Hotch climbed into the passenger in what can only be described as a drunken manner. He almost hit his head on the door frame, smiling giddily. Reid felt extremely odd picking Hotch up. He would've thought that Hotch would call Rossi or...someone else. Most importantly, not him.

"Buckle up." Hotch gave him a lopsided thumbs up sign. Reid pulled away from the curb, keeping a wary eye on Hotch, who was mumbling incoherently. He pulled up to Hotch's suburban house. He climbed out of the car. He wasn't even sure that Hotch could even walk to his door by himself. Reid slipped an arm around Hotch, easing him up the steps. Hotch wore a strange smile, and Reid felt nervous leaving him alone with Jack like this. To his surprise, Hotch motioned for him to come in anyway. Reid pointed at his chest as if to say, _oh, you mean me?_ Then he felt foolish, seeing as there was no one else who happened to be standing on his doorstep. Hotch nodded, closing the door behind them. Reid gulped. This could go terribly wrong. What if his team found out he was here? He would never hear the end of it. Hotch collapsed on the couch, and Reid carefully examined the paleness in his face and the sweating of his palms. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl. Not a moment to soon, it turned out, as Hotch immediately threw up. Reid sat beside him, hanging his head. What was he doing here? He wasn't Hotch's wife. At the same time, he was glad he hadn't left Hotch alone. Hotch looked up at him. It was difficult to see someone he so idolized in such a weak state. Hotch wiped his mouth.

"I'm glad you're here." he said meakly, putting his head on Reid's shoulder. He wanted to smack his head against a wall. This was ten times to lover-like to be actually happening.

"Um..Hotch?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mmm?" he replied, lifting his head with great effort. Reid felt a piercing guilt run through him. He really shouldn't be taking advantage of him like this. By the state he was in, he wouldn't remember anything tomorrow.

"Have you noticed anything about me...in relation to you..that's different than usual?" Hotch changed the topic rather suddenly.

"Let's play Truth or Dare." Hotch said, waving his hands in an abstract motion.

"Well...alright. You go first." Reid felt none of the usual hesitation that normally accompanied such a request. Whatever he said here, no one would ever know.

"Truth or dare?" Hotch asked. He actually looked playful.

"Truth."

"Are you involved with anyone in the BAU?" he asked, putting on a fake sinister look.

"No."

"Do you wish you were?" Reid smiled no nonchalantly.

"That's two questions." he said, avoiding the question at hand. Reid flicked on the television. He had hoped that it would distract drunk Hotch from the game they were playing. Reid became increasing more comfortable as the soap opera rerun progressed. Hotch was slumped beside him in a semi-conscious state.

"Hotch?" he asked, shifting in his seat. A small grunt of acknowledgement. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I'm gay. And I...Hotch?" he glanced over, to see Hotch sleeping soundly. He sighed. It figures that this would happen to him. He quietly left the house, pausing to pull a blanket over him.

* * *

The next morning, Hotch walked into the office, rubbing his temples. Judging by the state he was in last night, that must be one hell of a hangover, thought Reid, snickering into his mug. Hotch could be seen smiling in pleasant surprise at the bottle of asprin bottle tied with a bow on his desk. Someone knew he would be feeling it this morning. Morgan took a peek at Hotch's office as he walked by.

"So who gave the boss a little present this morning? My money's on Reid." he laughed, somewhat condescendingly.

"I agree." J.J. added, finishing her bagel. Reid raised his hands in defence.

"It wasn't me!" he said, his voice rising with each word. "Besides, how would I know that he was gonna have hangover this morning? Whoever put it there would have had to been with him last night!" Morgan began to laugh. Very loudly.

"Who said it was a hangover? Knowing Hotch, most people would assume it's just another headache. I didn't even mention what the gift is, and yet you knew it was aspirin for his hangover. And you made a good point there, kid. Whoever it was would have had to have been there last night. You wanna tell us what you two were doing last night?" Reid's mouth hung open. Before he had a chance to explain himself, his boss decided now was an apt time to join them. Reid didn't think it could get any worse. Then again, he had thought such things before. Hotch sat down next Reid, who tried his best to look alienated.

"Reid. I had the weirdest dream last night." Reid's face was steadily becoming more and more pained with every word, right from 'Reid'. Morgan and J.J. immediately caught on to the significance of what Hotch just said. Hotch smiled, trying not to laugh as he recounted his 'dream'. "In my dream, you were in my house, admitting to me that you were gay." Reid laughed dryly. Of all the elements of last night he could have dreamt about... Hotch laughed loudly and walked away. J.J. burst out laughing as soon as Hotch was out of sight. Morgan slapped him on the back.

"That was as good as an answer! Way to go, sport. Too bad he was...whats the word..drunk!" Reid rolled his eyes as if it was nothing. It wasn't going to be a good day. He could could hear Morgan in the back of the offices.

"Hey boss. I think it's time our little genius got a girlfriend." Not a good day at all.

Later that day, Morgan and Hotch sat outside the BAU, waiting for the case that wasn't coming. Morgan turned to Hotch.

"Honestly, I don't know what Reid's type is. He doesn't really date." Reid joined them.

"There's a reason for that." he said, clearly annoyed. Morgan glanced at him, waiting for an explanation, as if to say, _you want to enlighten us? _

"Oh, shut up." Reid said quietly, aware that his face was showing the discomfort he felt. Morgan smiled un-sympathetically.

"I didn't say anything." Morgan said, a laugh coming through in his voice.

"You didn't have to." he replied. Morgan nudged Hotch, and a foreboding feeling began to crawl over him.

"Reid, We've got someone for you to meet for lunch." Reid immediately began to shake his head.

"Oh no. I'm eating lunch by myself." he said quickly. He was beginning to babble. Hotch stepped in.

"Come on, kid. Live a little. Abandon your desk for an hour. Be rebellious!" he said, making exaggerated hand gestures to emphasize the sarcasm. In the face of his boss, and his crush forcing such an opportunity on him he nodded. He tried to swallow, something that was becoming more and more difficult.

* * *

They arrived at a small coffee-lunch place, not to expensive, but not cheap. A nervous-looking girl sat at the far table, with spiky brown hair and a wide smile. He walked over to the table, with sime encouragement from Morgan. She seemed nice enough, but it didn't change the fact that he was attracted to men. She glanced up at Hotch as he was leaving. He must have provided the match up.

"Hi, I'm Tracy." she said. Her smile seemed a little too large to be sincere, he noted.

"Hi, Tracy. I'm Dr. Reid, but you can call me Spencer." he replied, licking his lips. They touched on various topics, but he was hesitant to talk about things he was actually interested in, for fear of blowing her away. She was a student teacher, hoping to teach grade six. Halfway through their meal a child approached them.

"Ms. Hotchner?" she asked, waving excitedly. Reid choked on his water, spraying it all over himself. She was related to Hotch? After a sweet exchange between the them, Reid jumped in.

"Y-y-you're related to Aaron Hotchner?" he stuttered. She smiled.

"Yeah, he's always trying to set me up. I'm his younger cousin." Reid wanted to run over to something hard and bang his head against it. He was on a date with a _female_ Hotchner. No. No. No. The girl leaned across the table, and Reid thought he could hear his heart beating. "Can I tell you something?" she said, looking around. As if anyone was listening. Reid leaned in too. "I'm lesbian." she whispered. Reid flopped back and sighed with relief. He laughed wearily at her confused expression.

"I'm gay." he replied. They both laughed uproariously, mostly in relief. Apparently, it had been a very awkward experience for both of them. "Look, I would love to see you again, as friends." he said.

"Let's drink to that." she said, holding up her Dr. Pepper. After that was out of the way, they found themselves talking quite comfortably. They had alot in common. Hotch came to pick him up, and he waved bye to her.

"How'd it go?" he asked, hopeful.

"She's lesbian. It's time you knew." Reid replied, laughing at the shock on Hotch's face. He had just saved her from much grief. They hopped in the car and drove back in the BAU in complete silence.


	5. Chapter 4

**I am soo sorry for the terribly long delay on this chapter. I won't bother you with the excuses but certainly enjoy this chapter! I'm getting started right away on 68luvcarter's elevator idea (so excited) and Vanessa S. Quest's 'out of the closet' idea. Thanks for all the incredibly awkward ideas and keep them coming! R&R!**

* * *

Reid rocked back and forth on his heels. He was bubbling over with anxiety and excitement. Finally, unable to contain himself, he turned to Hotch and began blurting out everything he knew about this particular place.

"Did you know that 'The Haunted House of Mirrors' was actually opened in 1962 by a resentful circus clown who had been fired from his old job? He hired the most advanced puzzler of the times to create a maze that no one could solve except with specific instructions, or pure luck. The creator, Luther Kingston, claimed that no soul could get to the finish unless they were looking at it from above. It's specifically designed so that the mirrors lead you to secret chambers-"

"Reid. I don't need to know." Hotch said, eyeing him sternly.

"Sorry." He replied, resuming his intense scrutiny of the ground. Garcia squealed next to them.

"I am SO excited." she turned to Morgan. "You and me are sticking together." Reid chuckled. She actually sounded distressed. They were pushed through two double doors and into a large hallway furnished with red velvet curtains. Despite his goofy grin, Reid felt extremely uneasy. He was so busy staring at the skeletons hanging from the ceiling that he walked backwards into Hotch, grabbing at him, realizing that he was grabbing at him, and deciding to fall on the floor instead. He scrambled to his feet, and cleared his throat to indicate he was fine. It appeared that no one cared. Then he saw Hotch wink at him and began to _wish_ that no one cared. They arrived at the end of the hallway and a grim vampire greeted them.

"There's a special discount if you go in the couples entrance.." he said, curling his lips over his plastic fangs. Garcia looked back, apparently not having known this ahead of time. Reid knew better. He put on his best pleading look.

"Actually, let's see...Morgan and I, Rossi and Emily..J.J couldn't make it and..um.."she glanced at Reid and Hotch, who suddenly shuffled away from each other. "You two wouldn't mind going as a couple, to save some money?" she said. Hotch shrugged it off. Reid was unaware that his face was one of pure terror.

"Oh, come off it, Reid. We won't have to act like a couple. You're just stuck with me for the maze. You don't have an issue with that?" Reid shook his head, a little too fast.

"I d-don't have any issues-" he was cut off by Morgan, who was eager to get inside.

"Let's go already! Last one out is deeaaad!" he said in an attempt at a spooky voice. Reid chuckled nervously, earning him a strange glance from Hotch. They passed through a veil of stringy black material and into the reflective hall beyond. Reid turned to Hotch, beginning to regret his decision to come.

"I should warn you that I'm not always the best at handling-AAAAAAAAAHHH!" he screamed a high pitched scream and Hotch spun to face him. He relaxed and began to laugh as Reid gingerly picked himself off the floor and crept _around _the silky artificial spider webs dangling downwards.

"You were saying?" Hotch said, through his laughter. "You're gonna have alot of fun tonight." Reid tried very hard not to take that the wrong way. Then he stepped closer to Hotch's hulking frame. Survival over embarrassment, he told himself. A few hooded figures and piercing screams later, they were confronted with a choice. There were three mirrored paths that all looked identical.

"You decide." Hotch said, motioning in the general direction of the paths.

"You're not going to try and carry out any kind of strategy?" Reid said incredulously.

"Where's the fun in that?" Reid bit back his retort. He decided to try this method, if only for Hotch. Reid closed his eyes and spun on his heels, pointing out his finger. When he stopped spinning his finger was pointing at the path on the left. As they continued down the corridor, a voice rang out.

"Happy couples come this way to see your future," they came in sight of a small side room with a fortune teller inside. "..yay or nay?" she beckoned with a knarled finger for them to come in.

"We're not a couple." Hotch quickly explained. She waived this suggestion away as if batting at a fly.

"Nonsense! Any fool can see, how dear thy partner is to thee." At this Reid hastily removed his steely grip from Hotch's arm, gaining a cackle from the fortune teller. "Take this chance, for sometimes fear, can make you hold your partner dear." At their reluctance the lady lowered her voice and said, not in rhyme, "You're took the couples door didn't you? Come in here!" She grabbed Reid's sweater vest. They sat at the small table, Reid tapping his feet vigorously. After about three minutes of various scripted remarks about their 'relationship' they were dismissed, but not before Reid was called to the fortune teller alone. She beckoned for him to bend down to her height.

"I understand now. To go unrequited is a horrible thing." she said, glancing conspiratorially towards Hotch. Reid gulped and darted to where Hotch was standing.

"Well that's a fake if I ever saw one." Hotch said as soon as they were out of earshot. Reid shook his head.

"No. She's real." he replied. Hotch cocked his eyebrow. He could see how shaken up Reid was by looking at the reflection in the opposite wall.

"What did she say to you?"

"Nothing." they walked in silence for another ten minutes. It was eerily quiet, with the exception of some distant screams. Eventually, they reached a corridor with another choice. They both agreed to pick the path on the right this time. It became immediately obvious that they had chosen a mini haunted house area within the maze. Ragged figures screamed at them from oversized cages. Reid whimpered, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. Hotch reached an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder.

"You can do this, Reid. Pull yourself together." he said mockingly.

"Oh, Ha. Ha." He replied shakily. Despite his tone, he hoped that Hotch wouldn't take his arm away. A cage near him rattled and he tried, unsuccessful, to contain another involuntary whimper. He could feel Hotch staring at him. "They're realistic." he said, trying to defend himself. A masked figure stepped out from the shadows and Hotch stepped back. The figure looked uncannily like "The Reaper", a painful figure from his past. Reid looked back. Hotch took a deep breath and continued, if only to show Reid he wasn't afraid. After all, who knows what would happen if Reid was the one in charge here. They would end up cowering in a corner all night, he thought with a chuckle.

"What could possibly be funny? Please enlighten me!" Reid said testily, recovering from the heavy shock of being grabbed by an unknown assailant. Hotch just laughed more at this, earning a steely glare from Reid.

"You're sweating." Hotch remarked, as a bead of sweat slipped down Reid's face.

"Thank you, mother." Reid replied. He shivered as he broke out in a cold sweat. His nerves could only take so much. As they broke out into the open air, one last figure jumped out, brandishing a fake knife. Reid fainted. Hotch slid to catch him, much to the amusement of the remainder of their waiting team members. As Reid came to, he heard Morgan whistle loudly. He blinked lazily and shook his head. Why was Morgan laughing so hard? A sudden realization hit him as Hotch's concerned face came into focus.

Oh Crap. They would never let him forget this. Ever.


	6. Chapter 5

**I know, I know. Two chapters in one day is obsessive. Too bad. Anyways, this was an extremely fun one to write. I included some more sentimental, storyline progressing stuff in here. I thought you guys were in need of it. Next I'm planning to combine RoseLaurel's most recent idea (quiet time gone wrong) and Vanessa S. Quest's idea (OUT of the closet) in one chapter. and after _that_ I'll do Katherine's Hotch dinner party idea. Please, please, PLEASE keep the ideas coming. They give me a good laugh. I'm also now accepting ideas for an awkward situation that leads to Reid outing himself to Hotch. I can't gurantee that the day Hotch finds out will be any day soon, but I like to think ahead. I can gurantee that the next chapter will be painstakingly awkward though! R&R (P.S. all ideas must be K-T. Thx!)**

* * *

Reid sighed heavily as his team laughed long and hard at the memory of Reid fainting into Hotch's arms. They never seemed to tire of it.

"I don't think you really fainted. I think you faked us all out for and excuse to-" Hotch walked into the room and sat down at the desks. It was near the end of the day, and no one really wanted to do work.

"Anyone for a game of cards?" he said, pulling a deck out from his pocket. Reid was glad for an excuse to do something else.

"Yeah, sure." he said, stealing the pretzels away from Morgan.

"Count me in!" J.J. said. Ten minutes later, Reid sat contently with a huge pile of pretzels in front of him. There were only five minutes left in the work day. Hotch left to clean up his desk, while everyone else hurriedly left the building, save Reid, who went with Hotch to continue their discussion on female arsonists. Reid and Hotch stepped into the elevator. From the bottom of the lift, Garcia typed something into her phone, which she had wired to match the elevator controls. It went electronic a year ago, and she could stop it and start in whenever she wanted to.

In the elevator, an unanticipated lurch caused Reid to grip the handle bars with white knuckles. Hotch glanced around, mildly concerned.

"I think we've stopped." he said, banging the side of the elevator with a flat hand. Reid was now flat against the side of the elevator.

"Please don't do that." Why did this always happen to him?

"Huh." Hotch acknowledged. He pressed the emergency button and a shrill ring filled the elevator. After five minutes, they accepted that no one was coming. "We must have been the last ones out of the building. Do you have your cell phone?" Reid shook his head.

"I only use it for work. I leave it in my desk. What about yours?"

"I left it upstairs." Hotch replied. Reid nodded. Stay calm. Hotch sat down in the elevator.

"Worst case scenario: no one finds us until morning." he said. Reid noted that he didn't really look concerned.

"That means a whole night here." Reid said, a note of panic coming into his voice. An entire night with Hotch. In a small space. He glanced at his watch. It was 7:00pm. It was going to be a long night. Reid pulled a book out of his bag. Leaning against the side of the elevator, he could hardly focus on his book. He tentatively pulled out his extremely thick reading glasses. His contacts weren't strong enough for the small print. Hotch smiled as Reid adjusted his glasses, only to have them slump lopsidedly again.

"I didn't know you still wore those." he said, gesturing to the glasses. Reid went cross eyed trying to follow Hotch's fingers.

"I only use them for reading. Garcia told me I looked better without them." Hotch was surprised at this unexpected show of sensitivity,

"Who do you have to look good for?" Hotch asked, genuinely curious.

"Do I need an excuse to look good?" Reid said, posing exaggeratedly and lifting an eyebrow. Hotch laughed.

"I guess I thought geniuses didn't care about their looks." Reid laughed bitterly. If only. He returned to his book, but he still couldn't focus. Hotch was also staring at him. "Reid." He said. Something in his tone made Reid want to run away.

"Yes?" he said, trying to act as if Hotch had interrupted a very interesting passage.

"Is there something going on that you want to talk about? I've noticed some strange things going on between you and the team. I _am_ head of the team, and I want each of our members to be performing at their best. If they're bothering you, I can have a word with them." Reid smiled sadly. _Yes, Hotch._ He thought, _There are so many things I would like to tell you._ Out loud he said,

"No, really. I'm fine. But thank you."

"If you ever need someone to talk to.." Hotch trailed off. Reid sat down beside Hotch. As if there was anywhere else he could sit. They sat in contented silence. The only sound was the soft rustle of Reid turning the pages of his book. At around 10:00 he finished his book with a loud sigh. He turned to tell Hotch how it had turned out, only to see that his boss was asleep. His features look soft, his lines of worry gone. The usual frown that he wore was no where to be seen. The rhythm of his rising and falling chest caused Reid to relax. Hotch must work himself so hard, if he was asleep at 10:00. Before long, the young genius was curled up beside his boss.

At around 1:00 Hotch awoke suddenly. Reid was saying something. He soon realized that Reid was asleep.

"That's not true. I don't..don't tell him. Please don't tell him Garcia..." he was saying, his words getting increasingly louder. He couldn't listen anymore, this was too personal. Quickly, Hotch shook him and Reid gasped awake.

"You were talking in your sleep." he said. Remembering his dream, Reid's eyes widened and he paled.

"What did I say?" He said, a feeling of dread creeping through his body.

"I couldn't make it out." Hotch lied. He got the very strange feeling that the dream had involved him. Reid felt suddenly awkward, as Hotch was still holding him. Hotch released him. Reid looked so tired. Sure enough, the younger man went right back to sleep on his shoulder. Hotch was not so easily put back to sleep however, and he learned many things about Reid in the next hour, as he talked constantly in his sleep. It was only when he was finally drifting off that he became interested in Reid's dream conversation.

"No, I'm not in love with my boss. What are you-? No. Yes, he's male. That's ridiculous. I'm not blushing, it's warm in here." It was rather like listening to someone on the phone. Hotch turned his head. Reid was blushing. And for the record, the elevator was freezing at night. Hotch drifted into a dream state.

* * *

The loud KA-CHUNKing noise and the bright light woke Hotch. Reid was standing up, trying to smooth his considerable bedhead. His glasses were askew and his sweater vest wrinkled. Clapping from the employees of their office greeted them as they headed out. Word had gotten around that they spent the entire night in the elevator.

"You could have woken me up." Hotch said under his breath.

"I didn't want to wake you. You were so peaceful looking." Reid replied, a smiled creeping up his face. Garcia took one look at the two disgruntled, mussed up, sleepy employees and laughed. Reid glared at her. She smoothed his clothes down and straightened his glasses, oblivious to his protest.

"You two look a hot mess. "she said just quiet enough so that Hotch wouldn't hear.

"More like a freezing cold mess. They turn the heat of at night." Reid said, putting away his glasses.

"Sorry about that." Garcia said absentmindedly.

"Wait. Sorry? You were behind this? You stuck us in an enclosed space for an undetermined amount of time? You-" he was cut off by the telltale voice of Morgan behind him.

"Hey kid. Are you alright?" Reid stalked away. One day one of their little jokes was going to go wrong. So far he was just lucky. Little did he know that the day would come. Soon.


	7. Chapter 6

**Okay! It's been a long, long time! I won't bother you with all the reasons I haven't updated, 'cause that's boring. The important thing: NEW CHAPTER! This is more serious and definitely more plot defining so please don't kill me if it's not cutesy..Next, I am crazy excited to try out Sue1313 and Katherine's idea in one, since they are both similar concepts (dinner party). Enjoy! Oh yeah, R&R, i love you guys. **

* * *

Reid loosened his tie, clearing his throat. The laughing stopped suddenly as Hotch walked into the room. Reid sighed with relief. He was actually sweating with the stress of the constant teasing. A masked snicker escaped one of his other team members and Reid got up and walked to the washroom, brushing angrily past Hotch. Hotch, who had been telling J.J. about Jack's birthday party a few days ago paused in mid sentence.

"Did I say something?" he said, and went to follow Reid. J.J. threw up her hands in exasperation. He _had_ been in the middle of a story. Hotch pushed open the glass doors and saw Reid run into the elevator. Hotch just missed it. He swore under his breath, tapping his foot as he waited for it to come back up. When he finally got to the front doors of the office building, he saw Reid through the glass doors. He was standing alone, the wind rustling his hair. Hotch's frown deepened as he saw Reid do something completely unexpected. He stamped his foot and pulled his sweater vest over his head before throwing it on the sidewalk. Then he pulled his tie off. Hotch didn't waste another moment inside. He ran outside and put a hand on Reid's shoulder. Reid jumped, feeling very exposed.

"Reid. What is going on?" Hotch asked. Reid hung his head, but didn't reply. Hotch made a decision then. He took off his suit jacket, and pulled off his tie. Reid glanced at him quizzically. Hotch smiled and threw his gun and his wallet on the ground beside Reid's bag. A small smile twitched at the side of Reid's mouth. They stared into the street. Hotch didn't push Reid for more information. Reid knew that it was becoming too much. He had to tell him. A dark car pulled up on the curb in front of them. Three masked men jumped out. Hotch immediately crouched to get his gun, but the other men were already prepared.

"Don't even think about." said the tallest man, training a gun on Hotch. Reid glanced from side to side. Someone was dialling 911. If he could just stall them..Before he could, the second man grabbed Reid's arm and pushed him towards the car. Reid started to struggle, but he felt the hard barrel of a gun in his back. He looked pleadingly at Hotch, who was frozen in the street, trying to negotiate with the tallest man. Reid was shoved into the car.

"Hotch! Hotch-" he cried before the door was slammed on him. The other men jumped in and the car pulled away with a screech. Hotch scrambled up to the BAU offices, alerting everyone what had happened. Rossi clapped him on the shoulder and forced him to sit down. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. How could he have let this happen?

When Reid woke, he found himself tied to a chair in a dimly lit room for the second time in his life. A light shone from behind a closed curtain. He blinked painfully as someone flicked the lights on. The man faced Reid, still wearing a ski mask. He pulled a roll of duct tape out of his pocket and Reid began to feel light headed.

"You don't have to do that. I won't talk. I won't say a word. I won't even breathe loudly." he said, his words rushing out faster than he could think. The man laughed. Then he proceeded to wrap the duct tape around Reid's head, covering his mouth. A tear slipped down his cheek. Why was this happening again? The man cut Reid's bond and pulled him over to the large closet in the corner of the room. He opened the doors and Reid smelled wood, furs and...was that blood? Reid tried to plead through the duct tape, his muffled cries getting louder as he was roughly thrown in. He shook with restricted sobs as the man retied his hands. Then he shut both doors and Reid heard the lock click.

Back at the BAU, the team was hard at work. It wasn't a terribly hard case to crack, but the pressure was intense-and personal. Hotch had caught most of the licence plate, and they already had the names of three promising suspects, with a personal connection to a case Reid solved over a year ago. The team split up. Hotch, Morgan and J.J. would go to the apartment that one of the suspects owned. Emily and Rossi would go to the warehouse under the third suspects name.

Hotch banged on the door. They could hear loud music blaring inside.

"F.B.I! Arthur Tempest! We have a warrant to search the premises!" he shouted. They were about to kick the door down, when a scraggly looking man answered the door.

"Okay, okay. No need to shout. Come in." They reluctantly lowered their guns. The music was so loud, they could hear the muffled shouts and banging from the closet. They glanced over piles of dirty clothing, uncleaned dishes and a tv still running a House rerun. Hotch bent to J.J.'s height and whispered in her ear.

"This looks prepared to me. The clothes are in strategic piles. They're not even dirty. And why does one person have six plates covered with the same meal?" Hotch asked, pointing out the various inconsistencies. J.J. muttered back,

"I think you're reading too much into this. I mean, he could have had guests over." Hotch pursed his lips. He wasn't convinced. As he walked near the loudspeaker, he turned the dial, sighing in relief as the music subsided. The man suddenly looked panicked.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Before he could continue a soft banging noise came from the closet. J.J. was close by and she jumped in surprise. She unlocked the door. The closet was quite large. Hotch

had the man in the apartment pinned down across the room. J.J. called the others.

"Reid. It's all right. You can come out now." Reid crawled into the small shaft of light. Something terrible had obviously happened to him. His face was contorted painfully, and he was shaking. Hotch slammed the man's head down as soon as he was able to release him into the hands of the local police department. He ran over to the closet. Reid had crawled back into the recesses of the closet.

"Reid." in the dim light, Hotch could see him shaking his head. "It's me." A small flicker of recognition shot through Reid at this.

"Why didn't you come?" he mumbled, rubbing his bound wrists together.

"I'm here now." Hotch said, an aching guilt piercing his chest at Reid's words. The rest of the team arrived, exchanging worried looks. "I need you to come out of the closet, Reid." Morgan cocked an eyebrow. In his feverish state, Reid completely misinterpreted this.

"No." he replied, pushing himself against the back wall of the closet. Hotch climbed into the closet. Hotch gently cut the bonds of Reid's wrists.

"Reid. Take my hand now, we're going to come out of the closet together." Reid began to cry. He didn't understand. How did he know? Hotch gripped his hand, supporting him as they stepped out together, cheered on by the team. Morgan and Garcia cheered the loudest. Before Reid got in the ambulance, he turned to Hotch.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you." he hugged Hotch gingerly. Hotch smiled back at him, unaware what the delirious Reid was thinking.

Reid woke up shuddering at the strangeness of the dream he had just had. As he reached for his glasses he felt a pain in his upper back, as though someone had hit him repeatedly. Then his hand made contact with a card on his bedside table that said _Get Well Soon, from all of us at the BAU_. It wasn't a dream. He looked up and saw Hotch, sitting beside his bed, observing silently. He had been here the whole time.

"Welcome back." he said. Reid felt incredibly awkward. It hadn't been a dream. That means he really did announce that he was coming out of the closet with Hotch, while holding his hand. And his team members had applauded, of course they did. "Are you alright? You look flushed." Hotch said, ready to call a nurse.

"No, It's nothing." Reid said. Hotch inserted a DVD into the player underneath the tv. Reid glanced at the Menu.

"You did not." Reid said, knowing full well that he did.

"Too late." Hotch said, pressing play gleefully. "Happy Birthday, Genius." he said, watching the opening credits of New Moon flash across the screen. He got up to leave.

"Wait! You can't leave me alone here!" Reid called hoarsely. Hotch sighed and resigned himself to the plastic chair. Two tissue boxes later, Reid lay peacefully in his bed. Hotch watched him for a moment before swiftly exiting the room.


End file.
